1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to antenna devices and more particularly to systems and methods for coupling antennas to printed circuit boards.
2. Description of Related Art
The use of wireless communication devices for data networking continues to grow at a rapid pace. Data networks that use “WiFi” (“Wireless Fidelity”), also known as “Wi-Fi,” are relatively easy to install, convenient to use, and supported by the IEEE 802.11 standard. WiFi data networks also provide performance that makes WiFi a suitable alternative to a wired data network for many business and home users.
WiFi networks operate by employing wireless access points that provide users, having wireless (or “client”) devices in proximity to the access point, with access to varying types of data networks such as, for example, an Ethernet network or the Internet. The wireless access points include a radio that operates according to the standards specified in different sections of the IEEE 802.11 specification. Generally, radios in the access points communicate with client devices by utilizing omni-directional antennas that allow the radios to communicate with client devices in any direction. The access points are then connected (by hardwired connections) to a data network system that completes the access of the client device to the data network. The different standards under IEEE 802.11 define ‘channels’ that wireless devices, or clients, use when communicating with an access point.
These wireless access points and client devices typically have external or internal antennas. If internal antennas are employed in wireless access points and client devices, they are often connected to printed circuit boards (PCBs) by directly soldering the antenna to the PCB or with expensive connectors. Both approaches suffer from increasing cost either directly with hardware cost or indirectly with cost associated with complex soldering approaches caused by the size and angle of the installed antenna. Also, the physical size of connectors used in other approaches often makes use of those connectors impossible in highly integrated assemblies.
Thus, there is a need for a system and approach for rapidly and cost effectively installing antennas on PCBs.